Universities in Philippines Close to Assist in Relief Efforts After Storm-Driven Floods

Universities, colleges, and schools were closed on Monday in Manila and other areas of the northern Philippines after a tropical storm flooded the region, leaving at least 73 people dead and displacing more than 330,000 others from their homes, The Manila Times reported. Emmanuel Y. Angeles, chairman of the Commission on Higher Education, urged colleges and universities that were not affected by the flooding to assist government relief efforts. Accounts of the damage were sketchy, but one institution, the University of the East, in Manila, reported that the ground floor of its medical center, including its emergency room, were inundated, The Philippine Star reported.